Thronged by supporters, families of Hamas hostages head to the UN
A rally outside the United Nations for Hersh Goldberg and the other hostages held by Hamas on Oct. 24. Photo by Camillo Barone
By Camillo Barone October 24, 2023
Rachel Goldberg and her husband Jonathan Polin walked hand-in-hand into the United Nations Tuesday morning to plead for their kidnapped son. Hamas abducted Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, on Oct. 7 during its attack on the Nova music festival in southern Israel.
“Bring Hersh home!” a crowd of about 500 chanted as the couple made their way toward the entrance, their teary American friends interrupting their progress to give them hugs.
They have heard nothing about their son, an Israeli-American who moved from Chicago to Israel with his family 15 years ago.
“I want to ask to keep getting Hersh’s name out there and all the hostages every single day,” Goldberg told me a moment before she entered the building, where the Security Council was scheduled to discuss a potential cease-fire between Israel and Gaza militants, and negotiations to release the hostages.
“We won’t give up this fight,” Polin added. “This is a global humanitarian crisis. And we need support to get all 200-plus home,” added Jonathan Polin, referring to the about 220 hostages. Four hostages have been freed in the past week.
The Goldbergs were joined at the U.N. by relatives of other American hostages: Omar Neutra, 22, of Long Island; Idan Alexander, 22, of Maryland; Itai Chen, 19, of Israel; Keith Shmuel Siegel, 63, and his wife Aviva Sigal, 62, of Kibbutz Cfar Aza; Liat Beinin Atzili and Aviv Atzili, both 49, of Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Their families are scheduled to meet this evening with New York Mayor Eric Adams at City Hall. Then they’ll join American Jewish leaders at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue.
“Holding babies, innocent and helpless children, elderly women, elderly men, young women as hostages, this is illegal. It’s a war crime,” said Na’ama Keha, an organizer of the gathering. “It’s beyond Israel versus Palestine,” she said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story gave the name of Rachel Goldberg and Jonathan Polin’s son as Hersh Goldberg. His name is actually Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
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